


All the Proper Elements for a Good Story

by mycosmicspacestorm



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Gen, Good Parent Grace Hargreeves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-13
Updated: 2020-01-09
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:54:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21777874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mycosmicspacestorm/pseuds/mycosmicspacestorm
Summary: Seven kids with elemental powers were adopted and trained to be heroes. Long story short, it doesn't go well and all crashes into the ground... quite literally. With tears, training, and lots of fluff; This is their story.OrElemental Au! The Hargreeves control elements rather than having their normal powers. This is the calamity that ensues
Comments: 25
Kudos: 52





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> First chapter is the introduction to their powers as told from Ben's perspective in the future right before the events of the show. The rest of the chapters will focus on the children.

On the 12th hour of the first day of October 1989, 43 women around the world gave birth. This was unusual only in the fact that none of these women had been pregnant when the day first began. Sir Reginald Hargreeves, eccentric billionaire and adventurer, resolved to locate and adopt as many of the children as possible.

He got seven.

I’m one of them. Number six if you need to know. Already this sounds like a joke, but I swear upon Klaus’ instinct to steal and lie that it’s not. We were just kids. That’s all. Raised together, pushed apart. The seven of us didn’t get a normal childhood on account of the fact that most of us have control over elements.

We had always been a bit different. It was just a natural given for the six of us. Being described by the public as ‘astounding’ and ‘simply marvelous’ whilst being described by mom. in as loving a voice as possible, as a handful. It was never easy on her of course. 

For example: imagine having seven very active and snooty kittens who always get into fights and have a duty to protect the world. Okay, well, it sounds like a bunch of regular kittens, but then you give six of those kittens powers. Mmhm, right. We weren’t the best behaved at the best of times and were downright hellish when we weren’t behaving. 

First, there was Luther. As the leader and having the power over Earth, he had a job to hold everyone together and to be their foundation. He was strong and confident, yet made sure that he was always there for the rest of the team. Unfortunately for Luther, Air didn’t need a foundation.

Diego commanded all air, but Klaus liked to try to convince me that he only had control over hot air. It definitely made sense since he was hot headed all the time. As Diego grew, his air had several… changes. One of which was his stutter. Before he learned control, the air in his lungs would fluctuate making it hard for him to breathe steadily which led to breaks in his speech especially when he lost focus or was nervous. It got better over time, however, and his cockiness grew as well. 

Allison was always nice and happy. The public saw her as a symbol of hope, which made sense given her power over light. I wouldn’t be surprised if she used her power on them. She used to use it on everybody whether they liked it or not. Her light wasn’t just regular spheres, no, that would be way too easy. Instead, she could push emotions into those spheres and would force it on anyone she threw the ball at. Thankfully for her test subjects, she would rather use calm or happiness to subdue someone rather than using sadness to destroy them or anger to make them lose it. We were lucky as lucky could be. Well- most of us.

Klaus. He’s something entirely different. As much as he and allison would bond over clothes or cute guys or whatever, they were on opposite sides. See, Klaus’ power was over darkness. It sounds cool, if a tiny bit scary. In reality, it was only terrifying and that was it. Klaus couldn’t control how dark it was in a room and he couldn’t turn off the sun, but he could summon creatures of darkness. In fact, his problem was getting them to go away. He was like a beacon for every hellhound, fae, dark elf, ghost, shadow, and all the other nasties of the shadow realm. He couldn’t control them at all. 

Five, on the other hand, probably ended up with the best control out of all of them. This would be surprising given that he commanded lightning, but it was true. At first, he was terrible at it and would shock people all the time. Then he learned how to compartmentalize his feelings and it got a hell of a lot easier for him. He figured out how to harness it so he could move faster than the human eye could follow. Dad always said this was dangerous and could end up with something bad and irreversible happening. Five didn’t listen. He never did.

The only normal one out of all of us is Vanya. There’s no reason why she didn’t get a power, but she didn’t and I don’t think Dad ever forgave her for it. Sure, she was always super in her own ways like how she could make others cry by just playing her violin or how she was always the best at water fights, but she wasn’t ever part of the academy. That made her different in a place where everyone was already different. That made her alone. 

And then there’s me. I’m dead by the way. Surprise. I could’ve been dad’s favorite if I had been a little stronger. Not that that’s what I wanted anyways; Luther was always too stuck up for someone else to take the spotlight. No, the only thing going for me in Dad’s view was my power. Dad always went on about physics and gravity and lots and lots of math, but all I knew is that it hurts, I couldn’t always control it, and it needed a medium to work. Or- it did. That medium could only be me of course, and it allowed the portals to appear spontaneously all over the place. Out of the portals were unspeakable monsters. They- well they’re unspeakable and I don’t wanna talk about this anymore so I’m not gonna tell you. So there. I’m dead. I have rights. Moving on.

We’re a mess as of now. I mean, with a childhood like that how could we not be? Luther was sent away from his element. Diego ‘lost his head in the clouds’ and didn’t come back from his delusions of being a hero. Allison lost everything because she was trying to bring herself a little more happiness. Klaus slipped into the darkness trying to get away from it and got completely swallowed. Five is lost somewhere unable to return. And Vanya? Well, actually Vanya’s doing pretty good for herself. She’s got a nice apartment and a steady job and- wait- that’s not the point. 

The point is that that the world is going to end and we have no way to stop it.

The second point is that this all could’ve been prevented if dad hadn’t been such a bas- well, a bad person. I’ll start near the beginning, shall I?


	2. Freetime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bubbles, tickle fights, and lot's of kiddos using powers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first official chapter. It's starting the story with the siblings as kids. I thought that it would be better to start with fluff rather than angst, but stay tuned for that. 
> 
> Thank you for reading!

Half an hour. An amazing half hour of freedom in the sun every week. Dad said that too much time would get them into trouble and had kept them to a schedule every other part of the day. It was dreadfully boring, but they would be as patient as any group of seven three year olds could be. It was a cycle. Four would remind them most of all, but the others would chime in every now and again.

“Today’s Monday!” Four would call happily whenever he felt like it was getting too quiet or too sad. Free time was always on Sunday which meant that Monday was the worst day of the week. Besides, Monday was full of learning and nannies and ouchie training. He much prefered anything at all over that.

“And today’s Thursday!” Four would say the next morning. He would promptly be corrected by both Five and One in loud impressive voices that the day after Monday was Tuesday and not Thursday. Heh- like Four was supposed to know that. He was only three and thought that if the order could be switched around to put Sunday closer to Monday then he wouldn’t mind.

“That wouldn’t work,” Six said when Four told him this new amazing idea. “Because then Sunday would be by Monday, but then Monday would be by the other end of Sunday and playtime would only be on Sunday and it would go around like circles forever.”

“You’re already having a hard time getting them all straight, Four,” Seven said kindly. “Imagine if the days would go Monday, Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thurs-” 

“No, no, it should be Monday, Sunday, Monday, Sunday, Sunday, Sunday, Su- No! Wait-” Four prompty fell over in a mass of giggles as a tentacle started to leave him slimy kisses all over. Six smiled and made sure that the monster would do no damage to the three year old, and that the portal would stay open for as long as needed for Four to be reduced to a smiling mess. “Six- Please! Yes, I love you too, but no tickles! Please! Ha-”

The tickle showdowns would either be broken up by the nannies or they would be joined by any number of the other siblings to cause even more ruckas. Each would use their power to try to get out of range but would want to tickle the others.

One and Seven had it the hardest. Their powers of Earth and Water weren't very good for anything yet since their control was kind of hard to manage. All Seven could do was make very pretty purple and red bubbles out of thin air, and all One could do was use his abnormal strength to try to hold someone down. They tried their hardest though. 

Five had it easy, but could be beaten just as quickly. He would use his speed to get in between people’s fingers and past their defenses. With lightning fast reflexes, he would do his best to avoid capture. If he slowed for even a second, however, it was all over for him. Sure, he was fast, but he wasn’t very strong and wouldn’t be let go until his stomach hurt from laughing.

Three had it the easiest. She had learned quickly how to channel emotions into her spheres of light. All she had to do was concentrate happiness into an orb, throw it, and pray that she wouldn’t miss. Her unfortunate target would then be overcome by a wave of euphoria and would open for attacks on all sides.

Eventually, they’d be caught and yelled at. Though anyone hit by Three wouldn’t be able to stop giggling for at least another half hour or so. T’was the nature of her ability. She wasn’t able to stop it yet, but Reginald had been increasing her training to try to get it under control.

For kids as young as these, it was impossible to wait for the end of the week, but somehow, they’d make it to Sunday. This week in particular, they had all decided to continue their ongoing game of- 

“Light Dragon! Rawr!” Three yelled as she chased after Four. He laughed and ran away from the small spheres of light. He then turned around and the grass around them started to shift a little.

“Earth Dragon! Ahhhh!” One responded with a roar. The dirt crept up Three’s legs and she tried to chase them away with her light, but was quickly being swallowed. She paused and her smile faded away.

“No, you need to let me win, One,” Three said as if she had been betrayed. He frowned a little and tilted his head as if he was going to argue. Before he could, One was hit in the chest by a ball of light and smiled again as his eyes glazed over. The grass fell away instantly.

“But- okay, I’ll let you win!” One said happily. Three smiled and the game continued.

This had been their favorite way to spend the afternoons. The sun was warm and one of the nannies had left them a single hose that they could use to drench the others. Of course it was Seven’s job to man the water. 

“Here!” Four yelled, waving his hands in the air. “

“Can’t get me, Seven!” Two said in an equally loud voice. The wind had started up as soon as they got outside, but since Two was happy and looking forwards to playing, it was a pleasant summer breeze. As Five ran past, Two lost his balance and tried to not crash into Three or Four. Unfortunately, he hadn’t seen Six standing behind him.

Six stumbled and hit the concrete. He started to cry and held his knee close to him. Seven dropped the hose, flocked over at once, and knelt beside him. She peered to him and wiped away a tear.

“Six, are you okay? Did it hurt real bad?” She asked, trying to get close enough to the spot to see if he needed to see one of the nannies or not. If they did, play time would definitely be over.

“Five- L- Lo-” Two pointed to Six angrily and Five tilted his head. He had been in intent of catching every single bubble that he hadn’t seen what had happened. Two was trying to explain, but his power wasn’t working and he couldn’t breath right. Scowling, he knelt by Six.

“No-” Six pulled up the leg of his shorts a little to show the others his forming injury. It wasn’t bleeding yet, but it was rather red. Four patted his shoulder as Six sniffed.

“That’s not bad at all! Look-” Seven said. A bubble formed in her hand and Six watched in awe as she lowered the bubble to press against the ouchie. It healed before their eyes and Three pushed a small orb of light into Six. He was soon a laughing mess and all tears were forgotten.

They had only a few minutes after that, but by the end of it, they were all soaking wet and giggling hysterically. It had been a very eventful half hour and they wouldn’t be able to wait until next week where they could do it all over again. 

“Today’s Monday!” Four called the next morning to groans and his father calling for him to be quiet. He giggled a little to himself and focused back on his breakfast.


	3. Pre-Deliberated Caution

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vanya loses her powers. 
> 
> Warning- Gun use and Reginald is an asshole

“Number Seven, pay attention,” Reginald cut into her thoughts. The four-year old looked away from the multicolored bubbles and to her father. She had just learned how to make rainbow ones! How could Dad not be the slightest bit amazed by them? 

“Mmhm-” Seven said as a reply. Her eyes flickered down to the glasses on the table. They served as a reminder that she couldn’t do what Dad wanted her to. It seemed like they had been at it all day. She was supposed to move the water from one glass to the other, but it wouldn’t work. It would never work. 

She had been reduced to tears multiple times, and Dad never took any pity on her. He’d let her cry then would give her her punishment. It was more often than not a food restriction. Apparently she’d be able to focus better if her stomach was reminding her what was at stake. All it did was distract her further and make her miserable.

When that didn’t work, he’d give her extra training. Seven wasn’t alone in this part though; Four and Two didn’t have the best control either. More often than not, the three of them would end up in a pile of tired giggles. All the other days, their training would end in tears and injuries. That only happened when Dad would stay up with them to make sure they were doing what they were supposed to be doing.

With both the hunger and the sleep deprivation, Seven wasn’t making very much progress with her powers. Of course, she could heal and make bubbles, but Dad wanted more from her. He was looking for something else, something more dangerous. She didn’t know what she was supposed to be doing. It seemed hopeless.

Then Dad pulled her aside for another one on one training, except… he brought Five with him. Neither of the children knew why Five was being included in this, but it was nice being able to have a nice face watching. She waved to him and smiled a little, but it faded as she watched Dad set up the glasses of water. 

“You’ll do it today, Number Seven,” Reginald ordered in a voice that made Seven feel very small indeed. When Five gave her a small nod and a thumbs up she smiled to herself. Maybe she could do it today! It was possible of course. Seven knew that it was and Dad knew that it was. She’d be able to do it.

Surprise surprise- she continued to struggle with the task for the next half hour. She was nearly besides herself with frustration at this point and Reginald looked close to cracking. Five was sitting against the wall, watching it all and thinking that if he could help he would, but that his lightning wouldn’t be able to do anything.

“Number Five,” Reginald called. Five’s head snapped up to look at him and he stood instantly. This was probably why Dad had made him sit here to watch. Of course, he wasn’t complaining; it had gotten him out of schoolwork for the time being. 

“Yes, Sir?” Five asked in as polite a voice as a four-year old could manage. He was beckoned over towards the table and he complied with steady steps. Maybe there was a way to help and Dad just hadn’t told them yet how. 

“Now, Number Seven, you will move the water,” Reginald commanded, grabbing ahold of Five’s wrist and pulling him closer. As Seven watched, Reginald pulled a small pistol from his pocket. “You will move the water or I will shoot Number Five in the head.” 

Five instantly tried to get away, but- his lightning provided him with speed, not strength. Reginald’s grip was tight on his wrist and he wasn’t going to let go anytime soon. Five looked to Seven with wide eyes and a pounding heart. She wouldn’t let him die, right? RIGHT?

“You have three seconds.” Reginald said with a small look down to Five. He pulled again on Reginald’s grip, but couldn’t get away.

“One-” The gun was cocked and prepared to shoot.

“Dad, I can’t do it! Please- Don’t-”

“Two-” The gun was placed against the side of Five’s head. 

“Sir, no- she says she can’t! Please listen-”

“You leave me no choice,” Reginald said to Seven, ignoring the pleads of both children. “Three-”

Seven pulled her hands forwards and could feel Dad’s arms following her orders. She pulled Dad’s hands away from Five and watched as Five promptly fell onto his butt from the shock. There was a clatter as the gun hit the floor, now completely harmless. 

Even though she was across the room, Seven was able to control what Dad was doing. He tried to fight against her, but she wouldn’t give up until Five was out of the way.

“Number Seven!” Reginald bit angrily. He could feel his heart racing like it hadn’t done in a long time. Water. Of course she’d be able to control liquids in the body. He should’ve figured. “Let me go this instant.” 

“Not until you leave Five alone!” Seven yelled back with her fists clenched. She was nearly hysterical. No one could hurt her siblings, especially not herself. Five was going to be okay as long as she kept Dad under her control.

“Number Five, return to your room. Speak of this to no one.” Reginald said in a low voice. Five blinked to Reginald and then to Seven. He disappeared in a second as he ran down the hallway and out of sight. “Number Seven, now. I order you to-”

No one was able to remember the next few days, not even Three. The whole thing was a blur of extreme euphoria from all the children. Of course things were different after that. Or- was it exactly how it had always been? 

The Six of them would train with their powers daily. It was always simple stuff, but left them exhausted afterwards. Even Mom would encourage them to keep their heads up all the time. It was hard to stay optimistic. Everyone was short tempered and there was a certain kindness missing from it, but… Nothing was missing. 

Seven began to feel closed off from the others. They had always seemed so much better than her and of course they were. Powers made them special. A lack of powers made Seven… ordinary, as Dad would constantly remind her. Maybe it was just her nervousness like Grace said. That’s why she was taking medicine: to help her feel better. Of course- why ever would it not be?


	4. Picture it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laundry day with Grace 
> 
> Major fluff and Grace & Diego bonding
> 
> No warnings that I spotted, but as always if I miss one let me know and I'll add it here

There wasn’t a lot of time for having fun. There wasn’t a lot of time for being a ‘family’. There wasn’t a lot of time for anything other than learning. 

However- there were moments where the Hargreeves children were able to have fun and be a family. They could smile and laugh and forget about the rest of their lives. For instance-

Grace was an exceptional mother. Everyone agreed and no more so than Two. He loved Mom more than he loved candy or his bed or snow or- well, you get the picture. Two fonded over her every moment he could and no one blamed him for it.

When they were five, Reginald went out on a day trip. He claimed it was for work, but Four would claim that he was off basking in the sun somewhere; probably hiding and eating ice cream. He would be gone for one day and though most of them were sad he was leaving, they were looking forwards to the freedom. 

They thought that they’d have the entire day off. They thought they would be able to run and play all day. They thought they’re have absolutely no responsibilities. What they weren’t expecting was-

“Laundry?” Five asked, looking to the piles of uniforms. He made a face and crossed his arms a little. Six shifted from foot to foot, uneasy. 

Why had Seven been allowed to stay in her room while the rest of them worked? That wasn’t very fair. Just because she didn’t have any powers didn’t mean she didn’t have to work too. It was just washing and sorting clothes. Meanies.

“Do we have to?” Four groaned. He had half a mind to lay on the ground and refuse to get up for hours. That’s what the shadow monsters were telling him anyways. One moved to stand behind him and pat him on the back. 

“Of course we do,” Grace said with an easy smile. She had gathered them all, having instructions from Reginald that they were to train all day, and had decided that this was an easier way to train their powers on the pretense of doing chores. Seven couldn’t participate of course. The excess of soap and water might reignite memories of her powers. It hadn’t been long enough since she had forgotten them.

“But whyyyyyyyy?” Four moaned. The shadows at the corners of the room started to grow and Six looked to them for a moment, scared of what might appear. 

“Four-” Three had snuck up behind Four and had hit him with a ball of light. Four seemed to swell for a moment before breaking into infectious giggles. He started to bounce slightly in his happiness.

“Okay- okay- okay- it’ll be fun!” Four said as Six smiled a little at how happy he seemed about laundry. 

“Good job, Three,” One whispered, making her smile a little. Two nodded along and Five gave a small huff, but backed away a little as Three eyed him mischievously. He didn’t want her to use her power on him too.

“Alright, children,” Grace said with a smile. She held a basket against her hip and looked down to them. “Six, Five, and Four if you could sort these. One and Three if you would handle the washing. Two if you would-”

“What are we doing?” Four asked, running up to her and trying to look into the basket. He didn’t know what she had, but he wanted to know. He wanted her to tell him. Now.

“Patience, Four,” Grace said, using her free hand to rub his hair a little. She lowered the basket so he could see.

Socks! Four’s eyes went wide. 

It was one of the small things that Grace had managed to earn for the kids. Everything in their lives were structured and, to them, ordinary. She had asked Reginald on three separate occasions and he had finally let her have this small thing. She had gotten them delivered the next day. 

Socks. All sorts of patterns and colors. They were shared between the children who had absolutely adored them. They each had ones that they liked the most. Seven liked dinosaurs. Four liked the rainbow ones. She made sure that each got their favorite pairs, but the most special pairs were the custom ones. They had numbers on them and something resembling their elements. For example One had ‘1’ and mountains. Of course… Seven’s had been ‘lost’. Unfortunately. 

As soon as Four, Six, and Five had started to sort the tiny mountain of socks and Three and One had been set to hand wash the ties, Grace knelt by Two with a small smile. He looked to her with shining eyes.

“Two, if you could help me sort the uniforms?” Grace asked, knowing full well that Two would agree to do whatever she wanted him to as long as she stayed close by. He nodded and smiled a little. 

“These ones?” Two asked as Grace pointed to the pile. She nodded and held up a uniform so he could see the tag.

“Your numbers are on them. See?” Grace waited for him to nod and put it into one of the baskets labeled ‘7’. She then picked the next one up and handed it to him. 

“This o- one’s Five’s,” Diego said excitedly. As he sorted it, he could feel Grace watching him and he felt his nerves rise. 

He wished he could control his power better. It wasn’t fair that it hurt his talking. Dad always yelled at him when he stuttered and explained that it was his ‘lack of control regarding the airflow inside his body’ though Two didn’t really understand. All he knew was that it was his stupid power’s fault. 

“Two, love, come here,” Grace said, sensing his frustration. He sighed a little and turned slightly, but kept his mouth shut. His nerves were bad enough that he knew he would stutter if he said anything. Grace was still kneeling on the floor when he put her arms out. Two hugged her gently as she spoke. “I know it’s hard, dear. Just remember what your father told you: concentrate on the air in your chest and how it travels out of you.” 

“B- But that d- do- doesn’t w-” Two frowned hard and pushed his head into Grace’s neck. He could feel the air circling in his chest and had stopped breathing entirely. He technically didn’t need to breathe all the time, but Dad always yelled at him when he didn’t. 

“Here,” Grace pulled away from him and tried to look him in the eye as an idea formed. Two only stuttered when he was self conscious and thinking about it. If she could keep him distracted from his power, in theory, he would have an easier time with it. She smiled softly. “Why don’t you try picturing the word in your mind? We learned to spell more words last week in class. Why don’t you try it?” 

“W- Whi-” Two shook his head a little and looked away. He couldn’t do it. He would never be able to figure it all out. 

“ ‘Which’,” Grace said with a confident smile. She put a hand on his chin and tilted it so he was looking at her. The five year old seemed near tears, but she continued. “W, H, I, C, H. Can you see it?” 

Two nodded a little. He imagined the word flying around the room, crashing into walls and bouncing all over the place. Grace smiled slightly and Two pictured the word in a single spot. 

“Go slowly, take your time,” Grace said with an encouraging nod. Two opened his mouth and closed it again. Grace didn’t move, waiting for him. 

“Wh-” Two started. He had forgotten to picture the word, but stopped and imagined it as hard as he could. He didn’t concentrate on his power, but on picking a color that the word would be. He gave it polka dots and spoke it in a steady voice. “Which.”

“Good job!” Grace said with a smile and a nod. She pulled him close for a hug, celebrating their tiny victory.

“I d- did it!” Two said with a grin as he squeezed Grace. “I r- re- I d- did it!

“You did!” Grace said, rubbing his back a little. He seemed so happy with his accomplishment. Grace smiled herself, glad that something had been able to help him. 

“Moooooommmmmm,” Six called in a loud and terrified voice. Grace squeezed Two for another moment before letting go and turning around to deal with the new catastrophe. 

Two watched her walk away, still smiling hard. He ignored Six’s terrified screaming and Grace’s yelling at Four to keep the shadows at bay and instead focused on his new plan. He could picture the word in his head. Of course- he would be slow for a time as he pictured every word, but it would help when his stutter got really bad.

He didn’t stop beaming all day, and could be found late that night sitting on his bed whispering words to himself. Long words, short words, and everything in between. He had to guess the spelling for most of them, but as long as he focused on it’s essence he could manage it. Mom had been right: it did help. Maybe.. Out of all of his siblings, Two considered Mom to be the most magical out of all of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who gave kudos and commented on the previous chapters! Next chapter will focus on Five and his powers


	5. Tantrum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five gets moody

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back! Thank you for all the wonderful reviews- they warm my heart 
> 
> Uhh- it’s bully Five time 
> 
> Warnings: Hurt, manipulation, apathy, using others, non-con drug use, narcissism

Five differed from his siblings in many ways. The most significant one was that he was better than all of them. He knew this even when- especially since he was little. It was easy to spot! So obviously so that it must have been true since his siblings didn’t notice it yet. Right? 

For some reason, Five had a deep mistrust for Dad. He couldn’t tell why, but something in the back of his brain was telling him to never get caught by Dad ever ag... again? Why again? His mind had no sensible foundation for that thought. Of course, he hadn’t been caught in the first place.

His mind didn’t usually make mistakes. It was correct all the time, nearly frustratingly so. His siblings all thought his was insane, of course. Not insane like crazy just insane like- like so insane that he was sane. 

Which they didn't seem to understand when he tried to explain it to them. In fact, he had gotten yelled at by Pogo for making Six cry. Apparently telling him over and over again that he was beneath Five ‘wasn’t nice’ and Five needed to apologize right that instant. Which he did. Begrudgingly. 

But not again. After being yelled at by Pogo and talked down to by Mom, Five decided that he would never get yelled at again for being right. Ever again. 

He had a plan. If someone got angry at him, Five would show them who’s right. Of course, it wouldn’t work on One, Dad, or Mom, but he never started arguments with them anyways so it wouldn’t matter. After all, if they didn’t find out about it, Five couldn’t get into trouble for it. 

“Stop crying, I didn’t mean it,” Five said in a hurried whisper. He had put his plan into motion and it wasn’t working out well for either of them. Four had been trying to steal his marshmallows and Five had caught him in the act. 

He had left a mark. What was supposed to be a small electrical burn had turned into slightly more and the skin was bright red. Four was crying and was trying to get away from Five any way he could. The shadows at the edge of the room were growing and shifting. 

“It’s just like you to cry, Four,” Five said, suddenly angry. “It’s your fault I did it! If you had just left my marshmallows alone, I wouldn’t have hurt you! You- You shouldn’t mess with me anymore or I’ll do it again.” 

What did he care if he made his siblings cry? It didn’t matter to him as long as he didn’t get into trouble for it. Of course, he felt bad about it, but he would never tell them that. They wouldn’t be able to see that he was any less than he appeared. 

He, as a five year old, had let his confidence soar. He was praised constantly of course for his intellect and his powers. There were mishaps like his banishment from time travel and the lack of empathy for other humans, but they were just bumps in the road. 

This, however…. Was nothing less than a terrible mistake. 

Five had been arguing with Grace over why he should have a later bed time than everyone else. She had given up and called Pogo. Pogo had brought Reginald with him. 

“I’m best of your children and I wanna stay up later!” Five was shouting to Grace. The air was electrified and her hair was starting to become statically charged. “Just me! They don’t get to!” 

“Number Five, you will listen to Grace immediately.” Reginald said. Five shook his head. His eyes were clouded with anger and he let out a small yell of frustration. 

He was at the point, as every person has happen at least once in their lives, reached a point of no return. Everything was so overwhelming and he felt as though nothing would ever fix this. He couldn’t be dragged from the hole he had dug himself without the world around him collapsing. 

“No! You’ll listen to me because I’m powerful!” Five yelled in all of his kindergartener glory. He clenched his fists and a shot of electricity came out. It bounced off the wall and hit Pogo square in the nose. 

Not two minutes later, Five was being dragged down the hallway kicking and screaming by Reginald. He didn’t know why his powers hadn’t gotten Reginald to let go yet! He was sending out enough sparks to make any of his siblings cry, yet it wasn’t hurting Reginald at all! It must’ve been his gloves. They were sucking up Five’s power or something. It wasn’t fair!

“Number Five, you will learn humility,” Reginald said in a dangerously angry voice. He pulled Five into the infirmary. How had Grace gotten there before him? That was impossible!

“LET! GO!” Five yeowled. He was in full tantrum mode now and knew he was pushing it too far. He never yelled. Ever. This was the first time in a long time.

“Number Five, you will learn.” Reginald repeated as Five tried to get away from Reginald. He nodded to Grace and she pushed something sharp into Five’s neck. A needle? Whyyyy was.. Why was there- th- there a needle?

Five’s thoughts were slowing down. A kind of heavy warmth was spreading through him, staring at his feet and his finger tips. Soon, numbness had taken over him and he felt his eyelids droop. When had he stopped yelling? 

“For the next week, you will have no access to your powers,” Reginald was saying, though his voice was in and out of focus. Five was kneeling on the floor in a small heap. He felt so sleepy. Reginald nodded and looked up to Grace, nodding. Five didn’t care. He was encased in these sensations- or lack of them. 

When he woke up in his bed, he was groggy. There was a thought that everything seemed to be slower and more fuzzy. He was comfy in his bed- more so than usual. 

“Five, hon, time to get up,” Grace said, shaking him again. Oh, so that’s what had woken him up before. How… terrible.

“I don’t wanna,” Five mumbled, snuggling deeper into his pillow and blankets. He completely forgot what had happened the day before and heard Grace sigh a little. Five gave a small indignant shout when she picked him up and placed him on his feet. “I said I DONT WANNA- huh?” 

Five had tried to shock Grace. He had ‘failed’ to shock Grace. Wha- why hadn’t it worked? 

“Now, now, Five,” Grace said with a gentle smile, pleased with how Five seemed to be calmed down. She wouldn’t explain it. 

Five didn’t need her to explain it. He had seen the bracelet. Some kind of metal… Lead maybe. His power would travel to his wrist and stop. He couldn’t use it to run fast or to shock people or- or to anything. He was powerless. 

“Dad, take it off,” Five said as soon as Reginald entered the room. “Please? I’ll be good, I swear it.” 

“Number Five, sit down,” Reginald said harshly. Five looked to him for a moment, but the sparks wouldn’t come out. He couldn’t get away and he was weakest physically out of all of his siblings. 

He spent two days trying to get the bracelet off. It was too small to slip off his hand and didn’t seem to have a lock on it, making it impossible to pick. Not that Five knew how, but it would’ve been cool. He would have tried to break it, but it was too thick for him to even make a dent.   
Failure seemed like the only option. Five could sense it. He also noticed that the bracelet seemed to be having more of an effect on him than just his powers. It sucked the energy and will power out of him. He couldn’t fight against it or any of his siblings. 

His siblings didn’t complain. Even if they hadn’t been under orders from Dad to say nothing, they probably would have been fine with this. They were safe from Five’s wrath now. Why would they help him? 

At the end of the week, Five was completely worn out. He had been confined to doing school work and laps while the others trained with their powers. It wasn’t fair and he had grown… numb to it all. 

“You will behave or this will go right back on,” Reginald said to Five. He had placed both hands on the bracelet and spun as he pulled so that the pieces came apart. Five nodded blankly and Reginald looked down to the child. “Very well, go now.” 

Five walked towards the door with a blank expression. He didn’t run. It would take a while for his powers to return and it would take about the same amount of time for a deep hatred of Reginald and his rules to start growing deep inside him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me, writing this chapter: I can’t find a good material for Reginald’s gloves to be made out of that won’t conduct electricity. 
> 
> Also me: …… He’s a kid. He’s not gonna know either! HA 
> 
> Next chapter is also gonna be very not fluff so mentally prepare for that ^^ 
> 
> Thank you for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Let me know if you like this idea and would want to read more of it ^^


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